Young Adult (2011)

A dark and clever tale of a woman who just can’t let go of the past. Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman (Juno) team up once more to provide us with a fully-formed female character whose flaws are so real, it’s almost unsettling. Charlize Theron expertly plays Mavis Gary, a teen lit author who returns to her small town in a ridiculous attempt to reclaim her high school sweetheart (Patrick Wilson) after she hears that he is now married with children. While hitting up all the hangouts of her past, she runs into a former classmate (Patton Oswalt) who hasn’t really grown up either. The cast is on point and all these characters seem just like people we know, abhorrent behaviour and all. Young Adult is a painfully comic and wholly engaging film that will bring a smile to anyone who has ever felt like the world around them isn’t what they had hoped – * * * 1/2